


Schools at War

by TheJediAssassinGirl



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Hamilton References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:08:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJediAssassinGirl/pseuds/TheJediAssassinGirl
Summary: When a school founded on inclusivity becomes distinctly non-inclusive, a subset of now-excluded students and teachers decide to rebel.Hamilton references scattered throughout. Props to anyone who can find them all.





	1. The Schools

Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom, there was a school where young people could come and learn to fight and do magic. The headmaster was a kind old man named Sato, who would accept anyone regardless of gender, race, or sexuality. Many students attended the school, both rich and poor, and they were fed well and cared for. Two of the instructors at the school, however, were not content with the openness of the place. Their names were Aric Lesso and Alejandro Bedoya, and they sought to dismantle Sato’s layout of the school. Together, they hatched a plan, and they poisoned Sato. After Sato died, they gave every student an ultimatum: either pay the increased fee for the school, or become a slave. Thalia Skywalker, a young woman who was among the poorer students, chose a third option: Leave. She, along with a host of other students and a handful of teachers, found another castle a few miles away from the school, and they set up camp there. 

But Aric and Bedoya were not satisfied. They wished to have all of the poorer students under their control, and they were willing to do anything to get what they wanted. So they declared war on the inhabitants of the other castle. Both schools prepared for battle, forging weapons and armor and kicking training into overdrive. But Thalia held out hope. In Aric’s school, there was a boy named George Nichols. He and Thalia had been best friends since they’d met. Many students had thought they’d end up dating, until Thalia had started going out with Tobin Heath. If she could just convince George to help, Thalia thought, the war could be won. So, without telling anyone, she snuck to the other castle in the dead of night.

Thalia’s P.O.V.

I approached the door that I knew George would be guarding. Sure enough, there he was. His reddish-brown hair gleamed in the torchlight, as did the razor sharp sword in his hand. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows of the forest.

“Skywalker,” he said.

“Nichols,” I replied. 

“I should take you to Aric,” he said.

“Don’t,” I said. “Not yet. I want to parley.” 

“Parleys don’t involve weapons,” George said, nodding at the sword at my waist. “But continue.”

“I need your help,” I said. 

“To do what?” George asked.

“Kill Aric and Bedoya,” I said. 

“No,” George said firmly. “I will not betray them.”

“Then you leave me no choice,” I replied. “Sorry about this.” I elbowed him in the gut, and while he was doubled over in pain, I ran past him into the castle.

“ _ Seize her! _ ” I heard him bellow after me. A troop of guards with faceless masks surrounded me. I pulled out my sword, and summoned a fireball with my free hand, but the faceless guards threw weighted nets over me. The fireball sputtered, and died out. 

“ _ Shit! _ ” I swore. The nets had obviously been enchanted to suppress magic. And they were made from metal cables, meaning I couldn't cut through them. George walked up to me. 

“We don’t use that kind of language at L.I.V.E.,” he said.

“At what?” I asked, glaring up at him.

“L.I.V.E.,” he said. “The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.”

“Oh, so  _ that’s _ what you’re calling this hoity-toity shithole,” I said. In response, George wrenched my hands behind my back and took my sword. Rough ropes cut into my wrists, and I tugged at them, trying to get free, but George had tied the knots tight.

“Take the net off of her,” he ordered, and the faceless guards obeyed. George took two handkerchiefs from his pocket. 

“Open your mouth,” he ordered. I glared at him and shook my head. He forced my mouth open and shoved the first handkerchief in. Then, before I could spit the wad of fabric out, he tied the second handkerchief around my head. He removed my knife from my belt, but he left the one in my boot, probably because he didn’t know of its existence, but it wouldn't help me now. I couldn’t reach it with my hands behind my back. George gave me a shove. 

“Move, prisoner,” he ordered. I growled, and he shoved me again.

“I said move!” He snarled. I tried to twist out of his grip, and he grabbed my braid and gave it a vicious yank. I grunted in pain as he dragged me down to a dungeon, using my hair as a leash. Once we got down there, he threw me into a cell and locked the door.

“Your interrogation will start tomorrow,” he said tersely. “Better rest up.”

The next morning, George dragged me into a different room, this one filled with restraints and torture weapons. I was secured to a slab of wood with straps not only around my wrists and ankles, but also my knees, elbows, waist, and forehead. George removed my gag.

“This seems a bit excessive,” I said as soon as he did. “I’m not gonna run away, you know. I’m not  _ that _ reckless.”

“God, you’re mouthy,” George said. “I shouldn’t have taken your gag out.”

“Well you did, and now you have to live with it,” I replied smugly. George sighed.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked. “Why are you fighting?”

“Because I can’t pay the ridiculous fees and I don’t want to be a slave, thank you very much,” I replied.

“I could help you,” George offered.

“Yeah, you can help  _ me _ ,” I said. “But what about my friends? You can’t help all of them, and if you think I’m going to let them get sold into slavery you’re dead wrong.”

“So you pin your hopes on Solo and Wambach,” George said.

“Yes,” I replied. “Because they follow Sato’s mission, and they’re kind and not abusive. Why do you follow Aric and Bedoya?”

“Because I didn't know leaving was an option,” George said.

“Then help us!” I said. 

“I can’t!” George said. “They’ll kill me!”

“So what?” I retorted. “I’m just as likely to die as you are! I’m probably more likely, in fact! And I’m not afraid of it. I know I could die any day, and I’m still fighting, so why can’t you? If you stand for nothing, what do you fall for?” Something in George’s face changed.

“Back to your cell,” he growled. He took me off the slab and tied my hands again. 

“You know I’m right,” I said. George just forced my gag back into my mouth and dragged me back without another word.

The next day, the faceless guards dragged me back into the torture room. This time, however, my hands were cuffed above my head and held in place by a chain attached to the ceiling. My ankles were chained to the floor, and my shirt was removed, along with my gag. After the guards finished securing me, they left me alone. I shivered in the cold, damp air. I waited for a good fifteen minutes before the door opened. Aric Lesso strode into the room. He was a large man, at least a foot taller than me, with huge, broad shoulders and bulging muscles. He could have easily crushed my skull with one hand. He smirked at me, his purple eyes flashing cruelly. His face was handsome, but cruel, marred by a scar that ran from his left ear to the right side of his chin.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” he said, his expression hungry.

“Longer than I would have liked,” I replied. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, not sounding the least bit remorseful. “I hope, at least, that you were comfortable.”

“Not particularly,” I said. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, I really am,” he said, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. 

“Let’s stop with the fake pleasantries, fuckface,” I growled. “Whatever you’re going to do, just do it!” The hungry look in Aric’s eyes hardened into something more menacing. His smirk got bigger. He looked like a cat about to pounce on a helpless mouse, and that mouse happened to be me.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” He said. “Nichols did warn me about your attitude.” 

“Where is he?” I asked. “Why isn’t he presiding over my torture?” 

“He’s attending to other business,” Aric said. “Now, since you were so eager to get started, let’s begin.” He grabbed a cat ‘o nine tails and showed it to me. I stayed silent and tried to look unimpressed.

“Not so mouthy now, are we?” Aric said triumphantly. He brought the whip down on my mostly bare back. The braided leather strips didn’t break my skin, but  _ man _ , it hurt like hell. I gritted my teeth and stayed quiet. 

“Tell me your plans,” Aric ordered. 

“No,” I replied stubbornly. The whip came down on my back again. 

“Tell me,”

“No. I won’t betray my friends,”

_ SMACK! _ The whip came down again.

“Tell me, you stupid girl!”

“Never!”

Aric snarled. He raised a gloved hand adorned with heavy rings and metal studs and backhanded me across the face. 

“Submit!” He yelled. I spat a mouthful of bloody saliva in his face. He punched me hard in the gut. I coughed, and glared up at him.

“That all you got, asshole?” I said through gritted teeth.

“All for today,” Aric replied, clearly enjoying my pain. He unlocked my cuffs and dragged me by the hair back to my cell. 

In his malicious glee at my pain, Aric had neglected to secure my hands. I began to form a plan. The next morning, when the guards came to get me, I slipped the knife out of my boot, stabbed them and ran. Aric intercepted me in a corridor, but I stabbed him in the gut. He hurled his own knife at me, but I ducked. It didn’t really work. I closed my eye a split second before a searing pain flashed across it. I felt warm, sticky blood trickle down my cheek, but I kept running, and I didn’t stop until I reached the safety of the forest. 

When I did stop, I used my knife to cut a strip of fabric from my pants, then I tied the fabric around my head, over my eye, in a makeshift eyepatch. I then found my way back to our castle.

“Oh my god!” My girlfriend, Tobin Heath, cried as soon as she saw me. “Shit, we need to get you to Joey!” 

“I’m fine!” I protested.

“There’s blood pouring down your face,” Tobin pointed out. She picked me up and took me to the hospital wing. “Abby and Hope are  _ not _ going to be happy.” She said.

“Yeah yeah,” I said. Tobin set me down in a bed, and went to get Joey. Seconds later, the face of my friend Joey Frost appeared above me. Beebles, his faithful black cat, was perched on his shoulder. 

“You really should be more careful,” Joey scolded. Beebles meowed in agreement. 

“I was trying to be careful this time,” I said as Joey took off my eyepatch and started cleaning the blood off my face.

“Uh huh,” Joey said. “And how did you get hurt this time?” He pushed my eyelid up with his thumb. 

“I was going to talk to George,” I mumbled. “Then I kinda got sidetracked. And captured. And lightly tortured.” Joey raised an eyebrow. 

“Tortured?” He asked.

“ _ Lightly  _ tortured,” I corrected. Beebles meowed.

“He’s right,” Joey said. 

“What did he say? I don’t speak cat,” I said.

“He said that doesn’t sound like you being careful,” Joey said. He put his hand over my eye and mumbled some words in an ancient language. His hand began to glow, and my cut knit itself together. 

“You’re gonna have a scar there,” he said. 

“That’s okay,” I said. “It’s just another one for the collection.” There was a knock on the infirmary door. 

“Come in!” Joey called. Hope solo and Abby Wambach, the teachers who had come with us from the old school, came into the room, and, as Tobin had predicted, they did not look happy.

“Thalia,” Hope said. 

“Ma’am,” I replied nervously.

“Care to tell us why you were gone for three days?” Hope said, crossing her arms.

“I was talking to George,” I said.

“George Nichols, your friend who attends the enemy school?” Abby asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“And you were talking to him for three days?” Hope asked skeptically.

“Well…no,” I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably.

“Then what else were you doing?” Abby asked.

“Well, I asked him to kill Aric and Bedoya,” I said. “But he refused, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“So Aric and Bedoya are dead?” Hope asked.

“No…” I admitted.

“Then what happened?” Abby asked.

“Um…well…” I said, fidgeting. “I kinda got captured.”

“That’s what I thought,” Hope said. “And let me guess: you made Aric mad and he tortured you.” I nodded sheepishly. 

“You’re confined to the castle for a week,” Abby said. She tossed a bundle of black fabric to me. I caught it, and held it up. It was a dress. I stared at Hope and Abby.

“You will wear that while you are confined to the castle,” Abby said. 

“You’re joking,” I said. 

“Does it look like we’re joking?” Hope growled. “Put it on.”

“But--” 

“Put. It. On,” slowly, I stood and put the dress on. 

“I can’t move right!” I complained, trying to kick out and getting my leg tangled in the fabric.

“It’s a punishment,” Abby said. “It’s not supposed to be comfortable.”

“Just be thankful we’re not making you wear a corset,” Hope snapped, clearly fed up. “Now get some rest.”

“But I--” I began to protest. Abby interrupted me.

“Don’t finish that,” she warned. “Hope’s grumpy enough as it is. Don't make it worse.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I mumbled.


	2. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia is captured (again)

Third Person P.O.V.

Aric hurled a knife at the door to his office. It whizzed past George’s ear and stuck, quivering, in the solid oak wood. It took all of George’s concentration not to look as terrified as he felt.

“You told me she was harmless!” Aric roared.

“Okay, I did not say she was  _ completely  _ harmless,” George said. “I said she was harmless as long as she was restrained properly, and that’s the truth, sir.”

“Then maybe you could explain,” Aric said, walking over and yanking the dagger out of the door, “how the  _ fuck _ a supposedly unarmed prisoner managed to kill my guards, stab me in the gut, and escape! And oh, did I mention that this prisoner is a  _ TINY GODDAMN GIRL! _ ” George gulped. The tip of Aric’s knife was inches from his bare throat.

“She must not have been properly secured, sir,” he said.

“Are you meaning to suggest that I was to blame for this?!” Aric snarled. 

“No, no!” George said hurriedly. “It wasn’t your fault at all, sir! It must have just slipped your mind. It happens to everyone!” Aric sat down at his desk.

“Tell me her weaknesses,” he demanded.

“Um, well, there’s her size,” George said. “Her weight, too. She’s very light.”

“Other than that,” Aric growled. “We know that already.”

“She’s impulsive,” George said. “And she’s loyal to a fault.”

“So if she were to receive a message from a friend that needed help, she would come running no matter the cost?” Aric mused.

“Yes, sir,” George said. He felt guilty, but he also was scared of what might happen if he decided not to tell Aric.

“You are dismissed,” Aric said. “Find Bedoya and send him in.”

“Yes, sir,” George said. Aric wasn’t waiting long before his fellow leader entered.

“Bedoya,” Aric said.

“Aric,” Bedoya replied.

“Could you make a restraint system that could securely hold a magic user while also leaving her open to torture?” Aric asked. 

“Yes, I’m sure I could,” Bedoya said.

“Good,” Aric said. “Do it.”

“You gonna try and catch the Skywalker girl again?” Bedoya asked. 

“Yes,” Aric said. “She will pay for what she did to me!”

“May I have her once you’re done?” Bedoya asked, his eyes glittering. 

“Why do you want her?” Aric asked. 

“I want to study her,” Bedoya said. “She possesses extraordinary power. I wish to find a way to harness it.”

“Very well,” Aric said. “I’ll keep her alive.” Bedoya smirked. 

“I just need her to be breathing,” he said. “You can hurt her as much as you like.”

A week later, George was called into the dungeons by Aric and Bedoya. The two men stood in front of a plate on the ground.

“Hello, Nichols,” Aric said.

“Hello, sirs,” George said nervously.

“Would you say you are close in strength and ability to Skywalker?” Aric asked. 

“Yes, sir,” George said.

“Good,” Aric said. “Step on the plate.” As George did as he was told, Aric and Bedoya smiled cruelly. They would catch their prey for sure. They forced George to write a letter to Thalia saying that he was in danger. Thalia, after several arguments with Hope and Abby, responded:  _ I’ll be there. _

The night that Thalia and George had arranged, Thalia crept to L.I.V.E.. She saw George and broke into a run, but in doing so she didn’t notice the plate on the ground until it was too late. A column of light enveloped her, and metal cuffs formed around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes widened as she realized she’d been betrayed. George wanted to help, but he could feel Aric’s eyes on him. He stayed put and looked at the ground. 

Aric and Bedoya stepped out of the shadows. Bedoya pushed a button, and the column started floating. Within it, Thalia struggled against her bonds, but blue lightning arced across her body. Aric smirked at her.

“The mighty warrior, reduced to a mere prisoner,” he sneered. The column floated into the dungeon, and the blue light disappeared. Thalia, however, was still suspended in midair. Aric grasped her chin and forced her to look up at him.

“It will be a pleasure to break you,” he said.

“I won’t let you have that pleasure, you sick fuck!” Thalia snarled. Aric smirked and held down a red button on the control panel of the contraption. The lightning arced across Thalia’s body again. Thalia bit her lip until the pain became too much. She screamed in agony, and Aric laughed. Standing in the doorway, George cringed.  _ It was his fault. It was all his fault. _ He’d betrayed his best friend, and now she was going to die. While Aric was busy torturing Thalia, he slipped out and ran to the other school. He pounded on the door for five minutes before Tobin answered it.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “Where’s Thalia? She went to help you.” More people gathered. Hope, Abby, joey, and other students crowded around the entryway looking at George.

“She’s--I--well,” George stammered. He took a deep breath. “Aric has her,” he said. “And it’s my fault. I betrayed her.” Tobin growled, and started towards him. 

“I ought to kill you!” She snarled. George took a step back. Hope grabbed Tobin’s arm.

“How dare you show your face here?!” Tobin snapped.

“I was a coward, okay!” George said. “I sold my best friend to Aric because I was too afraid to stand up to him! I want to help kill them! Thalia was right. If I stand for nothing, what do I fall for?”

“We don’t need you,” Tobin snapped.

“I can be your eyes in Aric’s castle,” George said desperately. “I can help get Thalia out. Please, just give me a chance!”

“How do you plan to get Thalia out?” Hope asked.

“I don’t know, but I swear I’ll do it,” George replied.

“Hope, you can't seriously considering trusting him, are you?” Tobin asked. “He’ll betray us like he betrayed Thalia!”

“No, I won’t!” George cried. “I swear on my life I won’t!”

“On your life?” Hope said. “Meaning if you betray us, we will kill you?”

“Yes, on my life,” George confirmed. 

“How will you explain why you’re sneaking off every night?” Abby asked. 

“I’ll say I’m spying on you,” George said. “I’ll spread misinformation so they underestimate you.”

“Very well,” Hope said. “Welcome to the team.”

 

Thalia had only had two sessions with Aric, but she already felt broken. Her shirt had been removed again, leaving her in just her bra and pants. She was covered in bruises and dried blood, and her baby hairs stood on end from the multiple electric shocks she’d received. The only thing keeping her upright at the moment was Bedoya’s infernal contraption. She lifted her head as she heard the door unlock. Fear flooded her mind.  _ No. Not Aric. Not now. I’m not strong enough. _ But it wasn’t Aric. It was George. The fear she’d felt left her, replaced by rage.

“You!” Thalia snarled. Her voice was hoarse from screaming and her throat hurt, but she didn’t care. She was angry. She lunged forward in her bonds. “I swear to god, when I get out of here, I’ll-” she broke off as the lightning coursed through her. She didn’t scream. She didn’t have enough strength left to scream. George took this as an opportunity to speak.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. 

“Oh, you’re  _ sorry _ ,” Thalia said sarcastically, her body convulsing as another shock passed through it. “Well that fixes  _ everything _ .”

“Just listen!” George said. “I know I was a coward. I know I fucked up. I want to fix it. That’s why--” he looked around and lowered his voice to a whisper. “That’s why I joined your side. I’m a double agent, and I’m gonna get you out of here.” 

“How?” Thalia asked.

“I’m still working on that part, but I swear on my life I’ll do it.” Thalia nodded, but stayed silent.

“Are you still mad?” George ventured.

“Oh, I’m still  _ furious _ ,” Thalia said. “I’ve just decided to smack the shit out of you when I get out instead of killing you like I originally planned.”

“Much appreciated,” George said. “I’ll come in with food and water and stuff when I can.”

“Much appreciated,” Thalia replied. George nodded, and walked towards the door. Before he left, he turned to look back at Thalia. 

“For what it’s worth, I really am sorry,” he said.

“Noted,” Thalia replied.

The next morning, Aric entered the room. Thalia raised her head defiantly. There was still an air of regality around the girl, Aric thought, despite her broken, bloody, and bruised appearance. He bowed mockingly. 

“M’lady,” he said with a smirk. Thalia glared at him, fire in her bright green eyes. 

“Asshole,” she replied.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Aric taunted. “Watch your language.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Thalia growled. Aric pushed the shock button. He expected his prisoner to scream, but she just let out a low groan. The truth was, Thalia didn’t have the energy to scream. She barely had the strength to lift her head, but there was no way in hell she was going to let Aric know that. Aric caressed Thalia’s cheek. Thalia tried to bite him.

“You could avoid all of this pain, you know,” Aric said. “Submit. Swear fealty to me. You would be my right hand woman. You would be treated like a queen.”

“I’d rather die!” Thalia spat. Aric’s purple eyes narrowed. 

“That can be arranged,” he said. “By the time we’re done with you, you'll be begging for death!”

“I don’t beg,” Thalia retorted.

“You will,” Aric said. In the next week, Thalia and Aric developed a pattern, sort of like a morbid call-and-response game. Each day, Aric would come in and order Thalia to submit, and each day, Thalia would refuse. Then, the torture began. Every day, Thalia was subjected to horrific torture through whips, knives, red-hot irons, and magic. Aric would keep at it until Thalia slumped in her restraints, too exhausted to even lift her head. Once he reached this point, Aric would leave. In the evenings, George would slip in with food, water, and potions for Thalia. 

“I’m almost there,” he told her one day as she drank the strength potion he’d brought. “I just have to get an invisibility amulet from my classmate, then you’re out of here.”

“I can’t,” Thalia rasped. 

“You have to!” George said. “They’ll kill you!”

“I’m barely strong enough to lift my head, much less make a daring escape,” Thalia said. “I can’t do it.”

“I’ll help you,” George said. “You can use me as a crutch, and I’ll lend you my strength. We can make it look like you overloaded the machine or something and escaped that way. Trust me, it’ll work.”

“Okay, I guess,” Thalia said, but she still sounded doubtful. 

The next evening, George came into the room and punched in the code to set Thalia free. Thalia tumbled out of the machine and on to the floor. She struggled to her feet and leaned heavily on the wall for support as George muttered an illusion spell that made it look like an energy overload had fried the machine’s circuits. Then, he helped Thalia drape her arm over his shoulder, and he slipped the amulet around her neck. She vanished.

“This is gonna look suspicious,” Thalia’s voice said from the air next to George.

“The castle’s deserted by now,” George replied. “Lights out was fifteen minutes ago, and Aric and Bedoya are never out at this time.”

“Won’t it look suspicious that you’re out then?” Thalia asked. 

“I'm Aric’s right hand man,” George said. “I’m allowed to be out.” He expected Thalia to react badly to this news, but he just felt her shrug. 

“Good,” she said. “You’ll be privy to more top secret stuff that way.” 

“We’d better get going,” George said. 

“Okay,” Thalia replied. “Just go slow.” George obliged, and the pair made their way out of the castle. When they were a good distance away, Thalia stopped. “I need a rest,” she said.

“Okay,” George said. Thalia sat down on a stump, and took the amulet off. George offered her a flask of water, which she drank gratefully. She handed the flask back to George, along with the amulet. 

“Ready to start moving again?” George asked. 

“Gimme another minute or two,” Thalia replied. The pair continued in this manner until they reached the castle. Thalia was given over to Joey for healing, and Hope handed George a scrap of paper.

“These are our fake numbers,” she told him. 

“Got it,” he said. He turned and walked towards the door.

“George,” a voice behind him said. He turned. Tobin was standing there.

“Thanks for bringing her home,” she said. George nodded. 

“No problem,” he replied.


End file.
